Here's my review.
Set
in Gilded Age America, a young woman must choose between circumstance and
destiny. When orphaned as small children, Sterling Redmond and her older sister
Charlotte are raised by their grandfather at the family’s Maryland country
estate of Northampton. Charlotte blossoms into a famed Baltimore beauty, but
Sterling is more interested in books and horseback riding than feminine
pursuits. Concerned that her niece will never find a suitable husband among the
local Baltimore gentry, Madame De Chant whisks Sterling away to Belle Époque
Paris in search of a gentleman who can understand her. In their absence,
Nicholas Pembroke, the son of an English earl, takes up residence in the manor
bordering Northampton. When Sterling and her aunt return to America for
Charlotte’s wedding, Sterling finds that her perfect husband is living right
next door. But there is a problem: he is already engaged to marry Charlotte.
Excerpt
from Sterling Redmond:
“Sterling
Redmond walked into the room, and Nicholas saw her for the first time. He had
not yet met her, but Charlotte had told him this about her: she was dull. Her
disposition was too serious. Some called her a bluestocking. In short, she was
a problem. A young woman of such a prominent and influential Baltimore family
was expected to secure a marriage worthy of her social status. After two seasons in Paris, where her
great-aunt Madame De Chant maintained a household, she had yet to win a firm
offer of marriage. There was a growing impatience among her closest family
members, who wondered if her education and forthright manner prevented any
positive momentum in this direction, and to make matters worse, Charlotte
complained, the young woman seemed not the slightest bit interested in
abandoning her independence. Charlotte painted her sister’s prospects in such a
dim light that Nicholas was astonished when the supposedly awkward and plain
sister walked into the drawing room, and he saw a creature quite unlike the one
described to him. Two years spent in
Europe had clearly transformed the younger Miss Redmond into something
unrecognizable.”
Kim Nathan is an American author of romance fiction,
including Sterling Redmond, a
historical romance, and Dreaming Montana, a paranormal
romance. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, she relocated to Seattle,
Washington in 1994, where she lives with her husband and cats.
ONLINE LINKS:
· Website http://kimnathanauthor.com/
· Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kimnathanauthor
· Twitter @KimNathanAuthor
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Who I am: an emerging novelist
What I wanted to be when I grew up: an angel,
then later – a writer
As a child, whenever
some kind stranger would remark on my dimples, my mother told me to say,
“that’s where the angels kissed me when I was born.” Seriously.
What I ended up doing for a living: business analyst for Corporate America. Wow – big
disconnect, huh? I left that career in December 2010.
City I was born in: Baltimore, Maryland
City where I live now: Seattle, Washington
Education:
Catholic school:
kindergarten – 6th grade
Public school:
7th grade – high school graduation
University: 1
year, then…
School of Life:
ongoing
What’s most important to me: my family, my friends, my freedom to create, and my
ability to serve and contribute
Favorite personality traits (in myself and others): courage, honesty, compassion
People I admire: Oprah, Sting, Louise
L. Hay, Marc Allen, Jonathan Fields, and anyone who follows their dreams
Writers who influenced me: Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Victoria Holt, Anya Seton,
Mary Stewart, Susan Howatch, Milan Kundera, Margaret Atwood, Jane Roberts, Marc
Allen, Jonathan Fields, Steven Pressfield
Best Novel I’ve ever read: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Favorite things to do when I’m not writing: dining out with my
husband, reading in my garden with my cats near by, leisurely walks in
nature, Nia dancing, sharing time with my girlfriends, vacationing in Europe…
Favorite vacation spots: Amsterdam, Italy, Germany
Intention: To inspire and
entertain my readers and to live a life of courage, purpose and connection.
Prologue and First Chapter Excerpt - Sterling Redmond
by Kim Nathan
PROLOGUE
Here I am. I stand before a house from my past on the edge
of a small Parisian park. Across the lane and up a few stairs, the front door
stares back and gives me nothing. I know this place. Shivering in the cold
violet light of dusk that surrounds me, here I am, at the end of my journey to
find him. I am stunned it did not occur to me sooner, the idea that he might
come here, this place from our past. It
occurs to me now that while I thought he was running away from me in the
present; he was actually running back towards me in the past. And yet I am
frozen on this boulevard, unable to move.
There is the flicker of firelight above stairs. Reassured my
travel has not been for naught, I wait for a carriage to pass by over the
cobble stones, and then I cross the lane. My body compels me up the steps and
rings the bell. Twice. Beyond the glass windows I see lamps being lit. A noisy
lock turns and the door opens. I expect a hall-porter, but I get the valet.
Wolffe stares back at me with his stoic face, but I see the flash of shocked
recognition cross his angular features before he regains complete control. His
presence confirms my hope that Nicholas is here.
“Madame,” he says, blinking at me.
“Wolffe,” I reply, pushing my way past him and into the
hall.
We stare at each other for a moment, saying nothing. The
foyer where we stand has clearly not seen callers for some time. No fire warms
the chill damp and stale air. I glance furtively at the bare fireplace. Wolffe,
having now regained his composure, breaks our silence. “We were not expecting
any callers this evening, ma’am.”
“He is here?” I ask, gazing up the stairs.
“He is,” Wolffe replies.
“I will see him.”
Wolffe nods his head and leads me up the steps. I feel every
intake of breath as I climb. Memories from years before crowd all around me,
but this place feels lifeless now. When we reach the top of the stairs, Wolffe
pauses and says, in a voice barely above a whisper, “May I say…ma’am…what a
comfort it is to see you here.”
The light from the drawing room is brighter now. It is good
that I am here. Wolffe has told me so, and Wolffe knows everything there is to
know about this house, about me, about Nicholas. Wolffe holds his hand up to
stop me and then he walks into the bright flickering drawing room. He waits a
moment to be acknowledged.
Finally, I hear him say, “Sir.”
“What is it, Wolffe? You know I don’t see callers,” an
impatient voice says. Nicholas’ voice.
I hear Wolffe announce “Sterling Redmond, sir.” And I step into the light.
Three Years Earlier
Sterling Redmond walked into the room, and Nicholas saw her
for the first time. Actually, it was not the first time. He had seen her
earlier that day, from a distance, rolling along in an open carriage with her
great-aunt, arriving back at Northampton
after two years abroad, but she was only a blur of auburn hair in the distance.
He had not yet met her, but Charlotte
had told him this about her: she was dull. She lacked the vivaciousness of
other young women. Her disposition was too serious. Some called her a
bluestocking. In short, she was a problem. A young woman of such a prominent
and influential Baltimore
family was expected to secure a marriage worthy of her social status. After two seasons in Paris , where her great-aunt Madame De Chant
maintained a household, she had yet to win a firm offer of marriage. There was
a growing impatience among her closest family members, who wondered if her
education and forthright manner prevented any positive momentum in this
direction, and to make matters worse, Charlotte
complained, the young woman seemed not the slightest bit interested in
abandoning her independence.
Sterling was home now at the request of her grandfather and
guardian, Andrew Redmond, who was busy arranging Charlotte’s own wedding,
scheduled to occur in just a month’s
time. These upcoming nuptials only
served to accent the problem with her younger sister. Charlotte thought her sister’s willful manner
and plain looks were to blame for her unclaimed state. It certainly wasn’t due
to her lack of a dowry. Charlotte , on the other
hand, was a famed Baltimore
beauty, whose looks and accomplishments were universally admired. She was
immensely popular in society, and it was no surprise to anyone that she had
secured the engagement of the season to the son of an English earl. Her exquisite beauty, her delicate manners
and gentle ways, her sensitive disposition, all were upheld as an ideal role
model among the young ladies in the county. Other young women fashioned
themselves after Charlotte
in their manner of dress, in the way they wore their hair. Charlotte painted
her own sister’s prospects in such a dim light that Nicholas was astonished
when the supposedly awkward and plain sister walked into the drawing room, and
he saw a creature quite unlike the one described to him.
Nicholas glanced over at Charlotte now. She had told him the reunion
of her family was a joyous occasion, but it was clear from her expression that
it was not. In all her resplendent beauty, she sat beside her aunt, her hand
tightly gripping the carved swan-necked armrest of the red Finley sofa, her
lips pinched primly together as her eyes followed her sister across the room.
“Sterling, this is Mr. Nicholas Pembroke. Pembroke, may I
present my granddaughter, Miss Sterling Redmond?” The smile now touched her lips and she gave
him a slight bow. Her eyes stared back
at him steadily, and in them, he saw the eyes of Europe ,
the place he had come here to escape.
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I really liked the excerpt-adding to my ever-growing TBR!
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